Political Scoop Comes From Plane Mechanic

[Khephra]

NEW YORK -- The political scoop of the year came not from some hotshot journalist, but an airplane mechanic in Pittsburgh.

Bryan Smith, a 39-year-old US Airways employee who lives in Moon Township, Pa., found out that John Kerry had chosen John Edwards as his vice presidential candidate several hours before journalists, and even before Edwards was asked Tuesday.

He posted the hot news on a little-noticed Web site, USaviation.com, and went to sleep.

Most of the nation's top political journalists had been hunting the story for months, with some staying up much of the night Monday trying to uncover the secret.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-edwards-scoop,0,6984066.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[napi21]

1. You shouldn't have posted this here.

This guy could lose his job!

[Khephra]

3. Huh?

It's an AP story. I don't think posting it here matters.

[louis c]

9. No Union Employee

is going to lose his job over this.

I can't believe how often I hear this. A well intentioned DUer E-Mailed me that my profile could be "hit", and I could lose my job.

My reply was to thank her for her concern, but by being a union employee would be enough protection.

However, my position as the BA and Pres of my local, I actually would invite that kind of confrontation over political speech.

That's all this employee did, was political speech.

[DBoon]

11. What is this "union" thing?

Sounds like a good deal. How do I get one? It would be nice to have a job where I could post political opinions to a Web site under my real name and not risk getting fired.

Tell me more about "union".

(and I'm not completely kidding either).

[louis c]

13. Oh, it's great

I have union information boards right in front of the time clocks as part of our contract. This board is almost sacred. As long as the posting is not slanderous, as president, I can post anything.

Right now, I have a huge reproduction of the IBEW newsletter front page which reads IBEW endorses Kerry for President, posted on each of the four boards.

Our Local is also affiliated with the AFL-CIO, so their newsletters are in every break room, with a Kerry sticker on the wall.

I bargained a Union Office in the building. We register voters right out of that office as a public service to the employees. (mail in regs.)

To say it's great is an understatement.

[JayS]

14. If the guy had signed a confidentiality agreement then he should...

...have been fired. Looks like all he did was take slight advantage of alarmingly poor security with no obligation to keep silent.

[displacedtexan]

15. You can't even stuff envelopes for the Kerry campaign without signing...

a confidentiality agreement.

And the agreement is legally binding, too.

[JayS]

16. It sounds like the guy just made his way through the building...

...unimpeded. I hope they rethink their level of security around the aircraft.

[LTR]

2. There were a few threads about it on Monday night

It was all over DU!

Added much to the fun and speculation on the board.

If only the NY Post stopped looking up topless girls on the internet and started sniffing around, then they wouldn't look like the fools they are.

[napi21]

4. I saw the source, but not the guys name.

Sorry, I didn't realize it was an AP story. I suspected the info was from some employee when I first read it, but I still don't think his name should be posted. Shame on AP.

[Renew Deal]

8. lol

I think they prefer being frat boys.

[Doosh]

5. clearly that post should've been deleted

It was of no significance.......humbug


remember those responses??? :)

[LTR]

6. I remember you hated those posts!

You posted in all of them (in LBN, GD and GD04).

We can all laugh now, and realize that we were among the first to find out, thanks to someone who posted the link to the aviation board in question.

Like I said then, only on DU!

[LTR]

7. Here's the LBN post

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=667049&mesg_id=667049

[Snazzy]

10. I'm glad the sign printers kept mouths shut

They knew too. Not a peep, thereby allowing Murdoch to go down in flames.

Wonder who they were? Like to send them business.

[jdj]

12. Yes, the Murdoch thing, hehehe

But what I would like is to eliminate reporters completely, at least the bad ones. They bust on Hollywood, but they are the new hollywood, because on TV their whole empasis is looks and diction, and the facial expressions that tell you how to feel about what they are reporting. Which is why they probably don't do alot of botox. The internet is wiping out the need for talking heads, so the people who are really committed to it, like the bloggers, etc are going to take over the market in due time. They can sell ads for their sites. And Pretty soon networks like Fox will have the elephant in their logo, they won't have to lie anymore.

[louis c]

17. They printed at least four different versions

Signs are relatively cheap. Planes tend to be a wee bit more expensive.